Uganda: President Museveni Signs Anti-Gay Bill

President Museveni has just signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law. Amnesty International condemns this as a dangerous and draconian piece of legislation

Gemma Houldey, Amnesty International’s Uganda Researcher said:

“This deeply offensive piece of legislation is an affront to the human rights of all Ugandans.



“This legislation will institutionalise hatred and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in Uganda. Its passage into law signals a very grave episode in the nation’s history.”



“The Anti-Homosexuality Bill will further criminalise consensual sexual activity between adults of the same sex, with some offences carrying life imprisonment. It also includes offences such as ‘promotion of homosexuality’, which will directly impact human rights defenders and healthcare providers. It makes a mockery of the rights enshrined in the Ugandan constitution.”

Uganda has made important progress on human rights in recent years, including criminalising torture, but this Bill is a colossal step backwards.

Over 25,000 people in the UK have written to the Ugandan President to veto the anti-gay bill. In 2013 Amnesty documented the rise of homophobia across sub-Saharan Africa in its report Making Love a Crime: Criminalisation of same-sex conduct in sub-Saharan Africa.